Sony has clearly been one of the dominant players in the entire digicam market
for a number of years now. And for good reason: Their cameras offer excellent
features and performance, good build quality and great picture quality. They
currently offer no fewer than five distinct lines of cameras, spanning an
incredible range of features, price, and performance. In their "mid-sized
P-series" line, they've now added a new three megapixel model, the DSC-P72.
With a telescoping 3x optical zoom lens and compact design, the P72 is comfortably
pocket-sized, offering three-megapixel resolution in a package that's both
portable and comfortable in the hand. A range of creative options lets you
shoot in a wide variety of conditions, including two new preset modes for
Beach and Snow scenes. Plus, its auto-connect USB connection (on Windows Me,
2000, XP, and Mac OS 8.6 or higher), makes downloading images easy, requiring
no driver software. Read the review below for the details, but if you're looking
for a compact and highly functional three-megapixel digicam, the Sony DSC-P72
deserves serious consideration. - This is a great "all around" camera,
at the three-megapixel resolution level.

Camera Overview
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P72 maintains similar dimensions and design as the rest of the Cyber-shot mid-sized "P" series, making it portable and compact while still offering plenty of purchase for your fingers. It's small enough to fit most shirt pockets, and a wrist strap keeps it securely attached to your wrist when shooting. The compact design includes a shutter-like, built-in lens cover which conveniently slides open whenever the camera is powered on, allowing the lens to telescope outward about 3/4-inch from the body. The DSC-P72's 3x zoom lens features automatic focus control, with several fixed focus settings available and an adjustable focus area. The 3.2-megapixel CCD produces high resolution, print quality images, as well as lower resolution images suitable for e-mail or other electronic use. Combine this with the ease of automatic exposure control, a handful of preset "scene" modes (including two new settings for snow and beach scenes), and the creative Picture Effects menu, and the DSC-P72 is an excellent choice for novice consumers who want to take great pictures without hassling with exposure decisions.

The DSC-P72 is equipped with a 3x, 6-18mm lens, equivalent to a 39-117mm lens on a 35mm camera. This is a fairly typical range, slightly biased toward the telephoto end relative to the more common 35-105mm range found on many 3x zoom-equipped cameras. Normal focus ranges from approximately 1.64 feet (0.5 meters) to infinity, with a Macro setting that lets you get within four inches (10 centimeters) when the lens is zoomed to its wide angle position, and 19.75 inches (50 centimeters) at its telephoto setting. (The net result is about average performance in closeup shooting.) In addition to automatic focus control, the DSC-P72 offers a total of five fixed focus settings through the Record menu, as well as Center AF and Multi AF focus area options. An AF illuminator lamp on the front of the camera helps focus at low light levels, a very handy feature I wish more digicam manufacturers would add to their cameras. The DSC-P72 employs a new technology that Sony calls "Smart Zoom," which offers a maximum of 3.2x digital zoom. According to Sony, Smart Zoom lets you digitally enlarge the image without any significant loss of image quality. In actuality, "Smart Zoom" simply means that the camera doesn't interpolate the pixels it crops from the center of the CCD array when zooming digitally. This limits the digital zoom range based on the currently-selected image size, with maximum zoom only available at the smallest image size. This is the most reasonable approach to "digital zoom," and one that I wish more manufacturers would adopt. (For the record, Fuji's digicams have operated this way for some time now.) For composing images, the DSC-P72 offers a real-image optical viewfinder and a 1.5-inch, color LCD monitor.

Exposure is automatically controlled at all times on the DSC-P72, great for novices and casual users looking for simplicity. You can override the exposure with an exposure compensation adjustment though, a necessary feature for shooting subjects that are uniformly light or dark overall. An On/Off button on top of the camera powers the camera on, and a Mode dial on the back panel selects between Playback, Record, and Movie exposure modes. Within Record mode, you can select Automatic, Program, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Snow, or Beach modes. (The latter two modes being introduced for the first time to the Cyber-shot line.) The Automatic setting removes all user control, with the exception of flash, macro, and resolution. Program mode keeps exposure determination automatic, but you now have control over all other exposure variables. Both Twilight modes optimize the camera for low-light shooting by allowing shutter times as long as two seconds, while Landscape mode sets the camera up for shooting broad vistas. Snow mode enhances saturation to prevent loss of color in bright white snowscapes, while Beach mode ensures that blue tones are recorded accurately in lakeside or seaside photos.

Although the camera controls aperture and shutter speed, it does report the settings it has chosen on the LCD information display, so you have an idea of what the exposure will be. (Another feature I wish more manufacturers would emulate, even on lower-end cameras. Knowing the actual shutter speed can be very helpful in judging whether or not you'll be able to successfully hand hold an exposure in dim lighting.) The Record menu offers additional exposure options of White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Spot Metering, ISO, Record Mode, Flash Level, Picture Effects, Focus, and image quality settings. Under the Picture Effects setting, you can record images in black and white or sepia monochrome, or select the Solarize or Negative Art options. The DSC-P72's flash operates in Forced, Suppressed, Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, and Slow-Sync (Twilight Portrait only) modes. Interestingly enough, Sony removed the image size setting from the Record menu, and gave it an external control. This is useful when trying to quickly change resolution settings, as you don't have to fish through menu options. (Though you'll still need to call up the menu system to adjust the image quality setting.)

In Movie exposure mode, the camera captures either 640 x 480-, or 160 x 112-pixel resolution moving images with sound for as long as the memory card has available storage space. Unrestricted (other than by card capacity) recording at 640 x 480 pixels is quite unusual in digicams, and is the key feature that distinguishes Sony's MPEGmovieVX mode. The DSC-P72 also offers Clip Motion and Multi Burst modes. Clip Motion records a series of up to 10 images that are automatically saved in a single animated GIF file, and that can be played back as an animation sequence. (A feature I've enjoyed on previous Cyber-shot digicams.) Multi Burst mode captures an extremely rapid 16-frame burst of low-resolution images, at a selectable rate of 7.5, 15, or 30 frames per second. Multi Burst shots are played back as a slow-motion animation on the camera, but appear as a single large file with 16 sub-images in it when viewed on a computer. (This is a great tool for analyzing golf and tennis swings, or conducting other sports-related time-motion studies.) A Self-Timer mode provides a 10-second delay between the time the Shutter button is pressed and the time that the camera actually takes the picture, giving the photographer time to run around and get into the picture. Also available on the DSC-P72 are Burst 2 and Voice record modes. Burst 2 records two images in rapid succession, with one press of the Shutter button. Voice mode records a short sound clip to accompany an image, useful for attaching voice captions.

The DSC-P72 stores images on Sony Memory Sticks, available separately in capacities as large as one gigabyte. (The DSC-P72 is compatible with Sony's new Memory Stick PRO format, breaking the previous 128 MB barrier for Memory Stick storage.) A 16MB Memory Stick comes with the camera, but I'd recommend also purchasing a larger capacity card so you don't miss any shots. As with last year's mid-sized P-series models, the P72 once again departs from Sony's typical practice of using their proprietary "InfoLITHIUM" batteries, using instead two AA batteries for power, either alkaline, NiMH, or lithium. A set of two rechargeable NiMH AAs and a battery charger are included in the box with each camera. Battery life is quite good for a two-AA cell camera, but I still strongly advise picking up a couple of extra sets of rechargeable AA batteries and packing them along on any extended outing. (See my Battery Shootout Page for actual capacity test data of the top AA cells on the market.) The optional AC adapter is useful for preserving battery power when reviewing and downloading images, but having a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries really eliminates the need for it apart from extended studio use. The DSC-P72 features a Video Out jack, for connecting to a television set, and a USB jack for downloading images to a computer. A software CD is loaded with Pixela Image Mixer software and USB drivers, for downloading and organizing images. (On Windows Me, 2000, or XP computers, or Macs running OS 8.6 to 9.2, no separate USB driver software is needed. The camera shows up on the desktop automatically when it is plugged in.)

Basic Features

3.2-megapixel CCD.

Real-image optical viewfinder.

1.5-inch color LCD monitor with backlight.

Glass, 3x zoom lens, equivalent to 39-117mm on a 35mm camera.

Maximum aperture of f/2.8 - f/5.6, depending on lens zoom position.

As much as 3.2x digital "Smart Zoom."

Automatic exposure control.

Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to two seconds.

Built-in flash with five modes.

Memory Stick storage, 16MB card included.

USB computer interface and supplied cable.

Power supplied by two AA batteries or optional AC adapter.

Pixela Image Mixer software and USB drivers included for both Windows and Mac platforms.

Like the rest of the mid-sized "P" series of Sony Cyber-shot cameras,
the DSC-P72 is a good quality, compact digicam. It offers the convenience of
point-and-shoot simplicity, but with enough advanced features to make it possible
to take photos in otherwise challenging situations (low light, fast action,
etc.). The 3.2-megapixel CCD delivers high quality images, appropriate for any
use from printing to distributing via e-mail, and its compact design makes it
a good candidate for travel. (While not as tiny as cameras like Sony's own P8
and P9, or the Canon Digital ELPH series, the P72 fits quite nicely into pant
or coat pockets.) Overall, the P72 is a good choice for anyone wanting a capable,
portable camera that takes good photos in a variety of circumstances. The DSC-P72
is easy to use for rank beginners, but has enough flexibility to handle a range
of conditions.

Design
With its small body size and compact design, the DSC-P72 maintains dimensions similar to the rest of Sony's midsized "P" series Cyber-shot models. Its sleek, smooth styling is free from any significant protrusions except for the lens, which telescopes outward when powered on. The DSC-P72's dimensions of 4.75 x 2.38 x 1.31 inches (120 x 58 x 33 millimeters) makes it just small enough to fit into a shirt pocket or small purse. The all-plastic body keeps the DSC-P72 light weight as well, at just 9.1 ounces (258.6 grams) with batteries and memory card.

The front of the DSC-P72 is rounded on the right side, following the shape of the lens barrel and adding to the smooth design aesthetic. A shutter-like, retractable lens cover protects the lens whenever the camera is powered off, flipping quickly out of the way when the camera is turned on again. The lens telescopes out from the camera body about 3/4-inch into its operating position. Also on the front panel are the flash, optical viewfinder window, AF illuminator lamp, and small microphone. A small, sculpted ridge serves as a finger rest when holding the camera, improving your grip to a surprising degree. Still, this ridge is small enough that you'll probably want to keep the wrist strap securely in place while shooting.

On the right side of the camera (as viewed from the back) is the battery compartment. A sliding plastic door protects the compartment, and features a latch that prevents it from accidentally flying open while shooting. Just below the compartment is the wrist strap attachment eyelet.

The opposite side of the camera features only the Memory Stick compartment, at the very bottom. A hinged, plastic door opens downward to reveal the card slot. I heartily approve of providing side access for both the Memory Stick and battery compartments, as this greatly helps when shooting with a tripod. Given the large amount of studio work I do, I always appreciate being able to quickly change out batteries or memory cards without dismounting the camera from the tripod.

The DSC-P72's top panel is fairly smooth and flat, featuring only the Shutter
and Power buttons, both of which barely protrude from the camera's surface.

The few remaining camera controls are on the back panel, along with the optical
viewfinder eyepiece, LCD monitor, speaker, and connector jacks. Three LED lamps
next to the optical viewfinder report camera status, indicating when focus is
set or the flash is charging. The Mode dial and Zoom rocker button dominate
the top left corner of the back panel, while the Menu, Display, Image Size /
Erase, and Four Way Arrow pad line up below them. A small speaker is on the
left side of the LCD monitor. On the right side, beneath the Zoom rocker button,
a tethered plastic flap covers the DC In, Video Out, and USB connector jacks.
Two ridges on the outside of the plastic flap serve as a thumb grip while holding
the camera.

The DSC-P72 has a flat bottom panel, which holds the metal tripod socket and bottom side of the Memory Stick slot. (Kudos for the rugged metal tripod socket, many cameras use plastic here.)

Camera Operation
The DSC-P72's user interface is very straightforward, with only a few external controls and a very concise LCD menu system. Menu setup is similar to previous Cyber-shot designs, though the DSC-P72 does have a couple of changes relative to prior units. For starters, all of the camera's scene and exposure modes are now accessible through the Record menu, and the mode selection dictates the available menu options. (Previous models employed a separate mode dial position for Scene mode access.) Sony also moved the resolution setting to an external control, for quicker access. For standard point-and-shoot operation, the most basic features (flash, zoom, and macro and self-timer modes) have external controls, while settings like White Balance, Exposure Compensation, etc. are adjusted through the menu system. The Mode dial lets you quickly set the camera's main operating mode, with just a turn. When you do need to enter the LCD menu system, you'll find it simple to navigate, with each setting appearing as a separate tab at the bottom of the screen. The arrow keys of the Four Way Arrow pad scroll through the selections, and the OK button in the center of the pad confirms any changes. The menu system is so simple and intuitive I think even novice users will be able to become completely familiar with it in an hour or less.

Record-Mode
Display
In record mode, the LCD monitor optionally displays just the subject, the subject
plus an information overlay, or nothing at all. (That is, the LCD may be turned
off.)

Playback-Mode
Display
In playback mode, the LCD display can show the captured images with or without
an information overlay, a thumbnail index showing multiple images at once, or
detailed information regarding the exposure parameters for a given image. The
index and detailed information displays are accessed by pressing the "W"
side of the zoom control on the camera's rear panel. Pressing the "T"
side of the same control lets you zoom in on an image, up to 5x. Once zoomed,
the arrow keys let you scroll around the enlarged image.

External Controls

Power Button: Placed unobtrusively on the camera's top panel, this button
turns the camera on and off.

Shutter Button: Located on the far right of the top panel, this button
sets focus and exposure when halfway pressed, and fires the shutter when fully
pressed.

Mode Dial: This dial is on the camera's rear panel, and offers the following
settings:

Playback: Replays captured still images and movie files, with options for image management and printing.

Record: Places the camera in Record mode, with seven exposure modes available.

Movie: Records moving images with sound, for as long as the Memory Stick has space. Also accesses Clip Motion and Multi Burst modes when activated through the Set-Up menu.

Set-Up: Displays the Set-Up menu, for changing camera settings.

Zoom Rocker Button: Located in the top right corner of the back panel,
this rocker switch controls the optical and digital zoom in any record mode.

In Playback mode, this button controls the digital enlargement of captured images and accesses the index display mode as well as a detailed information display. (The "T" side zooms in, the "W" side zooms out. Zooming out from the normal-sized single image view brings up an index display of tiny "thumbnail" images.)

Menu Button: Beneath the Mode dial, this button displays or dismisses
the settings menu in any Record mode or in Playback mode.

Display/LCD Button: Directly below the Menu button, this button controls
the LCD monitor's display mode. In both Record and Playback modes, the button
cycles through the image and information displays, and turns the LCD monitor
on and off.

In Playback mode, this button pulls up the single erase menu, letting you delete the currently displayed image.

Four Way Arrow Pad: Below the Mode dial and adjacent to the Menu and Display
buttons, this five button control pad features four arrow keys and a center
"OK" button. The arrow keys navigate through any settings menu,
and the OK button confirms menu selections.

In Automatic Record mode, the up arrow controls flash mode, cycling through Auto, Forced, and Suppressed modes (it only activates Slow-Sync in Twilight Portrait mode, and no flash modes are available in Twilight, Landscape, or Movie modes). The down arrow activates the Self-Timer option, while the right arrow controls the Macro mode. The left arrow calls up a quick review of the most recently-captured image.

In Playback mode, the left and right keys scroll through captured images on the memory card. When an image has been enlarged, all four arrow keys move around within the enlarged view.

Battery Compartment Latch: Tucked in the center of the battery compartment
door, this button unlocks the door, allowing it to slide outward.

Camera Modes and Menus

Record
Mode: In this mode, the camera captures standard still images, controlling
aperture and shutter speed. Pressing the Menu button displays the Record settings
menu, with options varying depending on the exposure mode selected:

Camera: This menu takes the place of several mode-dial
options on previous Sony models. Offers Automatic, Program, Twilight, Twilight
Portrait, Landscape, Snow, and Beach exposure modes. The mode selected dictates
which of the following options are available. (Program mode offers all of
the following, Auto offers only the Mode submenu.)

ISO: Sets the camera's light sensitivity to Auto, or to 100, 200,
or 400 ISO equivalents. Use ISO 200 or 400 for action shots, where you need
a faster shutter speed to freeze the action. (Higher ISOs produce "noisier"
images though.)

Image Quality: Sets the JPEG compression level to Fine or Standard.

Mode: Changes the recording mode to Normal, Voice, Burst 2, or E-Mail
(records a 320 x 240-pixel image in addition to one at the selected image
size). Voice records a short sound clip in addition to the JPEG image. Burst
2 mode records two images in rapid succession, with one press of the Shutter
button.

Playback
Mode: This mode lets you review captured images on the memory card, erase
them, protect them, set them up for printing, etc. When playing back movie
files, you can also opt for "frame-by-frame" playback, which plays
back the movie file slowly, several frames at a time. Pressing the Menu button
displays the following options:

Folder: Selects the folder of images to be played back.

Protect:Write-protects the current image, or removes protection.

DPOF: Marks the current image for printing on a DPOF device, or removes
the print mark.

Slide: Enables a slide show of all images captured on the Memory
Stick. You can control the interval between each image as well as whether
or not the slide show repeats.

Resize: Resizes the current image to one of the available resolution
sizes. (This makes a copy of the image at the new size, your original image
is left undisturbed.)

Rotate: Rotates the current image 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.

Divide: Divides movie files into segments, providing a very basic
editing tool you can use to "trim" your movies to just the portion
you want to keep.

Movie
Mode: Records short movie clips with sound, for as long as the Memory
Stick has available space. If set through the Set-Up menu, this mode can also
record Clip Motion or Multi Burst images. The LCD menu system offers the following
options:

Set-Up Mode: The following three page Set-Up menu automatically displays
when entering this mode:

Camera:

Moving Image: Sets the Movie recording type to MPEG Movie, Clip
Motion, or Multi Burst. (Multi-burst records 16 small images in very rapid
succession in a single frame of memory. The images play back as a slow-motion
movie. Capture rates can be set via the Movie Mode menu to 7.5 ,15, or
30 frames/second.)

Smart Zoom: Turns the Smart Zoom digital zoom function on or
off.

Date/Time: Controls the date and time display, options are Day
& Time, Date, or Off.

Red-Eye Reduction: Enables the Red-Eye Reduction flash (which
will fire with all flash modes), or turns it off.

LCD Backlight: Controls the LCD backlight feature, setting it
to Normal or Bright.

Beep: Controls the camera's beep sound, setting it to Shutter,
On, or Off.

Language: Changes the camera's menu language to English or Japanese.

Clock Set: Sets the camera's internal clock.

Setup
2

USB Connect: Places the USB connection into PTP or Normal modes.

Video Out: Specifies the camera's Video Out signal as NTSC or
PAL.

In the BoxThe DSC-P72 ships with the following items:

Wrist strap.

16MB Memory Stick.

USB cable.

Video cable.

Two AA NiMH batteries with charger.

Software CD.

Instruction manual and registration card.

Recommended Accessories

Larger capacity Memory Stick.

Additional AA rechargeable batteries.

AC adapter.

Small camera case.

Recommended Software: Rescue your images!
Just as important as an extra memory card is a tool to rescue your images when
one of your cards fails at some point in the future. I get a lot of email from
readers who've lost photos due to a corrupted memory card. Memory card corruption
can happen with any card type and any camera manufacturer, nobody's immune.
A surprising number of "lost" images can be recovered with an inexpensive,
easy to use piece of software though. Given the amount of email I've gotten
on the topic, I now include this paragraph in all my digicam reviews. The program
you need is called PhotoRescue, by DataRescue SA. Read our review of it if you'd like, but download the program now,
so you'll have it. It doesn't cost a penny until you need it, and even then
it's only $29, with a money back guarantee. So download PhotoRescue for
Windows or PhotoRescue for
Mac while you're thinking of it. (While you're at it, download the PDF
manual and quickstart
guide as well.) Stash the file in a safe place and it'll be there when you need
it. Trust me, needing this is not a matter of if, but when... PhotoRescue
is about the best and easiest tool for recovering digital photos I've seen.
(Disclosure: IR gets a small commission from sales of the product, but I'd highly
recommend the program even if we didn't.) OK, now back to our regularly
scheduled review...

About Batteries
Time for my standard battery tirade. I've gotten so many emails about power
issues for digicams, that I'm now inserting this standard notice in the reviews
of all AA-powered cameras on our site. Don't even *think* about using alkaline
AA batteries in a digicam! Despite their being packed in the box with many
cameras, they simply don't have the juice to handle typical digicam demands.
Big kudos to Sony for including a very high capacity set of AA NiMH cells with
the DSC-P72, as well as a nice little charger. Do yourself a favor though, and
get a couple of extra sets of high-capacity NiMH AA cells, and always keep one
set charged and ready to go while the other is in the camera. See my Battery
Shootout page for the latest info on which NiMH batteries have the highest
capacities.

Sample
PicturesSee my sample pictures and detailed analysis here.
The thumbnails below show a subset of our test images. Click on a thumbnail
to see the full-size photo.

Outdoor

Indoor Flash

Indoor

House

Musicians

Macro

Davebox

Resolution

Viewfinder Accuracy

"Gallery" Photos
For those readers interested in a set of less "standardized" photos
from the P10, here are some thumbnails of more random shots snapped with it.
Click on one any of the thumbnails below for a larger view. Click on the larger
view again to see the original image from the camera. (Photos in this gallery
were shot by Gibbs Frazeur or Stephanie Boozer. Thanks Gibbs and Stephanie!)

NOTE: that these are big files, so be
aware that (a) they'll take a while to download, and (b) they'll chew up a
pretty good chunk of bandwidth on us. (Read the "support this site"
blurb at the top the carrier pages, and think about it while you're waiting
for the images to download.

NOTE TOO: Some browsers have difficult
with very wide images, and distort them a lot when they display them. (I don't
know about others, but IE 5.0 on the Mac definitely does this. If the full-sized
images appear to be stretched horizontally, you may need to just download
them to your hard drive and view them in an imaging application, or possibly
try another browser.)

As with all Imaging Resource product tests, I encourage you to let your own
eyes be the judge of how well the camera performed. Explore the images on the
pictures page, to see how the DSC-P72's images compare
to other cameras you may be considering.

Color: The P72's color is very good overall, with good
levels of saturation, and generally accurate hue. It did have a tendency to
produce slight color casts under a variety of lighting conditions, but the
casts generally were pretty minor. Both the Auto and Incandescent settings
produced very warm images in the Indoor Portrait without flash, a common issue
among the digicams I test. Outdoors, color was very good, although Caucasian
skin tones tended to be a little pink. The large color blocks of the "Davebox"
test were about right, though saturation was a bit high in the large red and
blue blocks. Overall though, I'm probably picking at nits - The P72's pictures
are quite appealing.

Exposure: The P72 did pretty well exposure-wise, requiring
less exposure compensation than many cameras on the high-key "Outdoor
Portrait" test, and generally producing good-looking pictures. In harsh
lighting, its dynamic range is a bit limited, with a tendency to lose highlight
detail and plug shadows slightly. On my "Davebox" test though, the
P72 distinguished the subtle pastel tones on the Q60 target well, and shadow
detail actually looked pretty good. The indoor portraits required about average
positive exposure compensation, and exposure looked about right. All in all,
exposure performance was on the good side of average.

Resolution/Sharpness: The DSC-P72 performed well on the
"laboratory" resolution test chart. It started showing artifacts
in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 800 lines per picture height
in the vertical direction, and around 600 lines horizontally. I found "strong
detail" out to at least 1,200 lines. "Extinction" of the target
patterns didn't occur until about 1,400 lines.

Closeups: The DSC-P72 performed about average in the macro
category, capturing a minimum area of 3.73 x 2.80 inches (95 x 71 millimeters).
Resolution is high, with great detail in the dollar bill, coins, and brooch.
Details are just a hint soft, but still well-defined. Corner softness is also
present, but not terribly strong. The DSC-P72's flash had trouble throttling
down for the macro area, and overexposed the shot. (Plan on using an external
light source when snapping macro shots with the P72.)

Night Shots: Like many of Sony's digicams, the DSC-P72's
Twilight shooting mode doesn't access the camera's ISO adjustment. Thus, I
shot a series at each ISO setting, and one in the camera's Twilight mode.
With a maximum shutter time of two seconds, however, the camera's low-light
capabilities were a little limited. In Twilight mode, images were bright only
as low as one foot-candle (11 lux), which is about equivalent to average city
street lighting at night. Even at that level though, the overall image was
just a hint dim. Images shot at ISO 100 and 200 produced similar results,
though the ISO 200 image was brighter. At ISO 400, images were bright as low
as 1/2 foot-candle (5.5 lux), so the camera should do quite well for typical
outdoor night shooting in reasonably well-lit areas. Color looked pretty good,
though with the slightest red cast in the dimmer shots. Noise was low at ISO
100, but increased to a moderately high level at ISO 400. Low light shooting
is also aided by a bright (optional) autofocus-assist light, providing good
focusing capability even in very dark surroundings.

Viewfinder Accuracy: The DSC-P72's optical viewfinder is
a little tight, showing approximately 80 percent frame accuracy at wide angle,
and approximately 84 percent at telephoto. (Most digicams I test have optical
viewfinders falling into this accuracy range, but I'd really like to see the
standard raised to 90% or higher.) Images framed with the optical viewfinder
are shifted slightly toward the lower left corner of the frame as well. The
LCD monitor is much more accurate, showing approximately 99 percent of the
frame at wide angle, and 99+ (99.8) percent at telephoto. Given that I like
LCD monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the DSC-P72's
LCD monitor is essentially perfect in this regard, but I'd really like the
optical viewfinder to be more accurate.

Optical Distortion: Optical distortion on the DSC-P72 is
a bit higher than average at the wide-angle end, where I measured approximately1.0
percent barrel distortion. The telephoto end fared better, as I measured a
0.4 percent barrel distortion there. (Most cameras I test seem to show about
0.8 percent barrel distortion at wide angle (still too much, IMHO), and generally
switch over to a very slight pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of
their zoom range.) There's a fair bit of coma or flare (I'm not sure which)
on the left side of the frame, but chromatic aberration is fairly, showing
relatively faint coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion
is visible as a slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the
field of view on the resolution target.) Some corner softness was present
in wide angle shots, but the effect wasn't too strong overall. Overall, an
"average" lens performance.

Battery Life: Battery life on the P72 is pretty decent
for a camera powered by only two AA cells. Worst case run time with "standard"
1600 mAh batteries would be about 100 minutes, rising to 220 minutes in capture
mode with the LCD off. (The P72 ships with a pair of 1850 mAh Sony-branded
batteries, but I base runtime projections on 1600 mAh cells to provide a basis
of comparison with older cameras, first tested back when 1600 was as high
a capacity as was available.) Despite the reasonably good run time performance
of the P72, I strongly recommend that you pick up another set or two of high-capacity
NiMH rechargeable batteries. See my Battery
Shootout page for the latest info on which NiMH batteries have the
highest capacities.

Conclusion

Midrange
Point & Shoots

If you're interested in the camera
in this review, here are some competing models that may also interest
you. (Camera names that aren't links are those we haven't reviewed
yet. - Stay tuned.)

I've consistently been a fan of Sony's Cyber-shot line of digicams, and regarded
the previous DSC-P71 a good "midrange" option for point-and-shoot digital
photography. The DSC-P72 proves just as capable, if not more so with its extended
preset Scene options. The camera's light weight and portable size are perfect
for travel, and the range of automatic exposure modes should handle most shooting
situations well. I'd really like to see a more accurate optical viewfinder, and
its Caucasian skin tones are a little on the pink side, but the overall color,
tone, and functionality of the DSC-P72 are all excellent. If you're looking for
a good "all around" camera in the three megapixel range, the P72 deserves
a good look.